Scripture, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. It may be that the desire of the rich man that his brethren should not come there was not because he was interested in their escaping the sufferings of the place. It may have been because when he was on earth his influence tended towards leading them to wrong-doing, and on account of this he knew that if they came to hell their pres ence would only increase his suffering. He would remember what his influence upon them had been, and they would tell him of it.

Jesus wanted to impress upon the minds of the disciples the necessity of much prayer, and for this reason he told them the following parable :

There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, neither regarded man. There were many judges of this kind in Eastern cities, and their favor was often bought by the rich, while the poor were left to suffer by their verdict. In the same city where the unjust judge lived was a widow who came unto him very often, beseeching him to punish one who was

her enemy.

Suitors in the East, even at the present time, will seat themselves day after day at a rich man's door, till they exhaust his patience, and he will grant them their requests in order to get rid of them. The unjust judge to whom the widow applied said within himself, Though I fear not God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And if this man, who was unjust and without mercy and compassion, was moved by the perseverance and importunity of the widow to grant her requests, will not God, who judges righteously and who is full of compassion and mercy, give unto his children what they pray for day and night, though for a while he may seem not to hear them? I tell you, he will avenge them speedily.

Jesus spake another parable unto certain ones which trusted in themselves that they were more righteous than others, whom they despised. Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The

Pharisee stood where he could be seen of men, and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not like other men who are unjust and unholy. I fast twice a week and give as an offering to God a tenth part of all that I get. He prayed with himself and not to God; he made no confession of his sins and showed no sign of humility, but on the contrary dwelt upon his own righteousness, and looked down with contempt upon the poor publican, who was praying at the same time. The publican, full of shame and sorrow, stood afar off, his head bowed down; he would not lift so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, to show the grief he felt within because of his sinfulness, and said, God be merciful to me, a sinner.

Jesus tells that the prayer of the publican was acceptable to God because offered in humility and self-judgment, and that he went from the temple to his house justified rather than the Pharisee. For those who are proud and think much of themselves shall be put down, while those who humble themselves shall be exalted.

CHAPTER XL.

THE CHILDREN BROUGHT TO JESUS -THE BLIND BARTIMEUS

ZACCHEUS PARABLE OF THE POUNDS

OF OLIVES

THE MOUNT

THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM CHILDREN

CRYING "HOSANNA"-THE UNFRUITFUL TREE-PARABLES

OF THE HUSBHNDMEN AND THE WEDDING-FEAST-TRIBUTE
MONEY-PHYLACTERIES-THE WIDOW'S MITE-PARABLE
OF THE TEN VIRGINS, THE TALENTS, AND THE LAST JUDG-
MENT-THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER-JUDAS BETRAYING

JESUS.

YOUNG children were brought unto Jesus that he might lay his hands upon them, and bless them. The mothers wanted to devote the little ones to the service of God, and that they might be his followers when they grew older.

The disciples did not like to see their Master interrupted in this way; they thought the children were so young that they could receive no benefit from Christ's teachings. Many

think the same way now, forgetting that children possess a simplicity of spirit and also a confiding disposition, both of which are essential in all who would be Christians. The conduct of the disciples displeased the Saviour very much, and he rebuked them, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; forof such is the kingdom of God. Verily, I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in nowise enter therein. In another place we read that Jesus took little children up in his arms and blessed them.

Jesus came into Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people. A blind man named Bartimeus, the son of Timeus, sat by the highway begging. He heard the noise of the multitude passing by and asked what it meant. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. When he heard this, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. No doubt he had heard of the wonderful skill of the Saviour in giving sight to the blind, in healing the sick, and in raising the dead, and felt that this might be his only opportunity. So he cried earnestly unto Jesus that he would have mercy on him. Many of the people tried to silence him, but he did not listen to them, and cried so much the more. Jesus stood still and told those around him to call the man. So they called the blind man, saying, Be of good comfort; rise, he calleth thee. And the blind man cast aside his garment, and rose, and came to Jesus. Our Lord asked him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man

said, Lord, that I might receive my sight. Jesus said unto him, Go your way, because of your faith you are made whole. And immediately his sight was restored, and he followed Jesus in the way.

Jesus passed through Jericho. Zaccheus who lived in that city.

There was a man named
He was the chief among

the publicans or tax-gatherers, and he was rich. Zaccheus had heard of Jesus, and was anxious to see him, but could not because the crowd was so great, and he was a small man. So he ran on ahead and climbed into a sycamore tree, for Jesus was to pass that way. When the Lord came to the place, he looked up and said, Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. And he made haste and came

down, and received Jesus into his house joyfully. Some of them said that the Saviour was gone to be the guest of a man who was a sinner. There were many priests living in Jericho, and they thought the publicans to be sinners above all other men. Perhaps Zaccheus had heard what the people had said about Christ going to be the guest of such a man. At any rate, Zaccheus stood up before Jesus and all the people and made confession of his sins, saying, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from any man wrongfully I will give him back four times as much as was taken. Jesus, seeing that Zaccheus was sorry for his sins, had confessed them, and was going to put them away, accepted him and told him that his sins were forgiven, and that salvation had come to his house, for, said Jesus to the people, the Son of man is come to seek and save that which is lost.

Then Jesus spake unto the disciples the parable of the pounds, and said, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive from the principal government royal authority. And he called his ten servants, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But the citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. He received the royal authority and returned. Then he called those servants to whom he had given the money, that he might find out how much each had gained by trading. The first came and said, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. The king said, as he had been faithful over a piece of gold he had shown himself to be worthy of greater things, and gave him authority over ten cities. The second servant came and said, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise unto him, Rule thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin. I was afraid of you, because I knew you to be an exacting man; you take up what you do not lay down, and reap what you do not sow. And the Lord said, I will judge you according to your own opinions. You knew that I was exacting, taking up what I laid not down, and reaping what I did not sow. You should have put my money in the bank, so that when I came I would receive my own with usury or interest. And he told them which stood by to take the